Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Amazingness

Alright, friends. What I present to you today is not exactly groundbreaking or revolutionary. Everyone knows that peanut butter = good, peanut butter + chocolate = awesome, and peanut butter + chocolate + pretzels = amazing. You all also know that peanut butter pie is on the short list of necessary baked goods in my family at any holiday or event where I am involved. This 5-ingredient pie is so easy and such a crowd-pleaser, that it's almost silly NOT to make it.

So when a peanut butter-loving friend invited me to Shabbos lunch and asked me to bring dessert, out of sheer willingness to please (read: laziness and wanting to make the easiest thing I could think of), my mind went to my good old standby. But then I was told that there would be 12 people at lunch, which is just too many for my humble-looking little pie to accommodate. That, and I have a compulsory need to impress people and, as delicious as it is, my PB pie doesn't look impressive. So I decided to amp it up. Big time. A homemade salty pretzel crust, a sheet of gooey chocolate fudge, fluffy peanut butter filling, refreshing whipped cream, more salty pretzels to accent it, abstract chocolate and peanut butter decorations on top....yeah, goodbye unassuming little pie, sayonara to my 5-minute wunderkind. This effort was well worth it.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Amazingness

(serves a lot. Like, a lot.)


Crust:
4 cups of thin pretzels, crushed (just about a full 16 oz. bag), divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup margarine, melted

Chocolate Fudge Layer:
2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup pareve milk
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. vanilla

Peanut Butter Mousse Layer:
1 cup peanut butter
8 oz. pareve cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups pareve whipping cream, whipped

Garnish:
1 cup pareve whipping cream, whipped
1/3 cup peanut butter

To make crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the melted margarine, brown sugar, and 3 cups of crushed pretzels (reserve the last cup for garnish) until the margarine and sugar are evenly coating the pretzels. Pat the mixture into a 9"x13" pan and bake until slightly golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool, about 5 minutes. (It will be soft, but it will firm up as it cools more.)

To make fudge:
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips and pareve milk in 30-second intervals, until melted, stirring between "nukes." (It took me three 30-second intervals.) Whisk until smooth, and add honey and vanilla, whisking to incorporate. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, and then pour over the slightly cooled pretzel crust, reserving 1/2 cup of the fudge for garnish. Place the chocolate covered crust in the refrigerator for at least one hour and allow to set.*

To make peanut butter mousse layer:
In a large bowl, mix the peanut butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Add the whipped cream and beat for one minute, until fully incorporated. Pour the mousse over the chocolate-peanut butter crust and refrigerate.

To garnish:
Evenly spread the remaining whipped cream over the peanut butter mousse. Sprinkle the remaining cup of crushed pretzels over the whole dessert. Microwave the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate fudge in a closed ziploc bag for 15 seconds (until slightly warm and runny); snip a tiny bit off the corner of the bag, and abstractly zig-zag over the pretzels to decorate. Microwave the remaining 1/3 cup of peanut butter in a closed ziploc bag for 10 seconds, and do the same. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.

*Note: This dessert has a lot of steps, admittedly. But it can be broken up into stages: the crust can be made and covered in the chocolate fudge and allowed to sit in the fridge for up to a day. (In fact, this might work out great, since you want the fudge to be pretty well set before you cover it in the peanut butter mousse.) The mousse can be added to the crust a day before serving, as well, since you want all the layers to be firm so when you cut/scoop into it, it doesn't fall into a big blob. Not that that would make it taste bad. Literally, nothing will make this taste bad. It's chocolate, peanut butter, and pretzels, for G-d's sake!

My Oh My, Shepherd's Pie

(I couldn't come up with a more creative title; can you tell??)

Okay, so my cousin asked me over Rosh Hashana why I haven't put up a new recipe in, oh, eight months. And then I felt all slacker-y and lazy, but I started wondering the same thing myself! I guess I got into a rut of making the same old thing, over and over. When I'm invited out for a Shabbos meal, I get assigned salad approximately 96% of the time (I do make some good salads, if I may say so myself). I haven't hosted a Shabbos meal in, like, four months. (My roommate and I moved a few months ago to a new apartment - don't worry, we still have a great kitchen - and we've been off the hook since we started packing up the old place.) And lately, even when I cook for myself, all I seem to manage are scrambled eggs and toast....man that sounds sad.

So last night, I convinced myself to actually cook a meal. A real, wholesome, multi-ingredient meal. I decided on shepherd's pie because...well, why not? I've made it in the past, simmering meet with vegetables in a wine reduction with garlic mashed potatoes.....delicious, but labor-intensive. On a Tuesday night, I want something that comes together in an hour, start to finish, and doesn't require me to open a new bottle of wine. (Not that having an open bottle of wine is the worst thing in the world.....trust me.)

Also, since it was just me on a weekday night, I decided to go easy on myself - meaning, I paced the canned-goods aisle for ingredients. The only thing I chopped was an onion. And, my secret ingredient: condensed tomato soup. I like my savory dishes with a bit of sweetness, and I thought that the tomato soup would add that better than, say, tomato paste or tomato sauce. And I used pre-made mashed potatoes from the deli counter at the grocery store. (But, by all means, if you have more time or don't have access, just make up a batch!)

This isn't a traditional shepherd's pie. There's no cubed lamb, no red wine, it's much more liquid-y than a shepherd's pie purist would ever allow for. But it was perfection. And, okay, maybe a bottle of wine did get opened anyway....

Shepherd's Pie
(This recipe is made in a deep 8"x5" pan - perfect for 2-3 people (or one person who wants leftovers!). It can be doubled for more people and made in a 9"x13" standard pan.)

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 lb. extra lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 tbsp. minced garlic

2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup flour

1/2 can condensed tomato soup

1 cup beef broth

1-2 tbsp. sugar, to taste

1/2 can peas and carrots, drained

Salt and pepper

3 cups prepared mashed potatoes (or homemade)

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp. olive oil

Paprika

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 5 minutes, or until mostly cooked through. Add the onions and continue cooking for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until the onions have softened and browned, adding the garlic for the last 2 minutes. Add the worcestershire sauce.

Sprinkle the meat and onions with the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato soup and stir to coat. Slowly add the beef broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until thick. Add sugar (to taste), peas and carrots, and salt and pepper (to taste). Pour the mixture into a greased 8"x5" pan.

Add the egg yolk to the mashed potatoes and spoon the potatoes over the meat mixture, being careful to keep it a distinct layer (don't blend it into the meat). Brush the olive oil over the potatoes lightly. Optional: run a fork over the potatoes to create lines that will crisp up in the over. Sprinkle with paprika.


Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. (Optional: bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for 3-5 minutes, or until golden.)

Brrrrrr......It's CHILI outside!

Well, winter seems to have finally hit! After some weird weather (including some snow right after Hurricane Sandy, back in November), we had some temperatures that were up and down - even going up to 60 degrees at one point in December.

Those temperatures are a distant memory this week, though. It's been a blustery 25 degrees for days. We finally hit 30 degrees today....but that also seemed to bring some snow, freezing rain, sleet, and all the stuff that makes me not miss driving. (What does make me miss driving, though, is having to walk around in this all over town! I guess you can't have it both ways.)

In this kind of weather, all I want is hot soup. For, like, every meal. And all day long, I was dreaming about coming home, changing into sweats, and making myself a nice big pot of warm, hearty soup to indulge in all week. I wanted something healthy (it is still January, after all, and in theory, I have some New Year's resolutions I'd like to keep, haha), but also something satisfying. And I wanted something vegetarian because I have an aversion to being fleishig during the week. So, I decided to roam the grocery store and see what I could come up with. A thick chili seemed like the perfect thing.

I had some quinoa lying around the apartment and added it to thicken up the final product and also to add a little extra texture and protein. I also used baked beans....yup. The campfire staple, in the sweet-and-sour sauce. We love baked beans in my family, and I use them anywhere I need to use regular beans, since the sauce adds a lot of great flavor. (They're one of my secret ingredients in cholent!) I also love them because I tend to like savory dishes that are a bit sweet. But feel free to use regular black or kidney beans, or omit them entirely.

I served this chili with a side of cornbread, and it hit the spot - it was comforting, but not too heavy, and chock-full of flavor. I'm so happy I have the leftovers to eat for the next few days!!

*Note: I cheated and bought pre-chopped vegetables. Cheat along with me, will you? I bought a 2-cup container of onions, carrots, and celery, and the same of assorted peppers. For the soy crumbles, I used Mexican flavor....because it was the only flavor my grocery store had. But I guess that was kind of perfect for chili! As far as the cornbread goes, I combined several recipes and used skim milk to lighten it up. To be honest, I wasn't super worried about it being too dry because I literally ladled the chili over it to serve. It's such a yummy combination.

Chili Con Quinoa
serves 6-8

2 tbsp. canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
12 oz. package Smart Crumbles, Mexican flavor (or any flavor of fake meat)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 cup quinoa
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
8 oz. (about half a can) corn, drained
1 16-oz. can vegetarian baked beans
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add peppers and sweat for an additional 5 minutes until softened.
2. Add soy crumbles and spices and cook for 3 minutes. Add quinoa and stir to coat with oil.
3. Add tomatoes and broth and increase heat to high; bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover pot. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until quinoa has fluffed and much of the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Add corn and beans. Season to taste.
6. Serve with cornbread (recipe below).

Cornbread
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil

1. Combine flour, cornmeal, and baking powder.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, and oil.
3. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined.
4. Pour into a greased 9x9 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Roll 'Em Up with Pumpkin

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love when it's just cold enough to wear a jacket, but warm enough that a sweater and a brisk pace are all you need to be comfy. I love breaking out my boots (all dozen+ pairs of them....Dad, don't freak out!). I love switching over my closet and feeling like I'm going shopping among all the new clothes. And I LOVE cooking with fall flavors....cinnamon and spices and PUMPKIN, oh my!

(Editor's note: keep in mind that a snow storm in November is not my definition of a fun fall, but hey - at least it's not 90 degrees anymore!)

I've told you before about my love for pumpkin. It goes back a long way - pumpkin pie has been my dad's birthday cake every year since long before I was in the picture, and I'm pretty confident that I've been eating at least the filling out of them since I was started on solid foods. I've played with pumpkin before in different recipes too; I came up with this Pumpkin Praline Bread Pudding and this Pumpkin Pasta a few years ago. And when my parents came to visit me in NYC a few weeks ago over my father's birthday weekend, I tried out this new Pumpkin Chiffon Torte that I WISH I had come up with on my own - never will I go back to boring (and not-so-tasty) pareve pumpkin pie again! (If you love pumpkin pie, please do yourself a favor and try this one out. It was light, fluffy, pumpkin-y, and perfect!)

Every day when I scour Pinterest, I see recipes for pumpkin cinnamon buns. You take two of my favorite dishes and combine them - how bad can that be? But all of the recipes call for made-from-scratch pumpkin dough and, to be honest, I don't have the patience....and I'm way too lazy. (Though I did successfully make really delicious cinnamon apple-filled challahs from scratch for Rosh Hashana....I just decided what my next blog post will be :-)) So, I wanted something that would allow me to resort back to my tried-and-true recipe for cinnamon buns, in which I use defrosted Kinneret Challah dough. I figured that if I knead some pumpkin pie spice into the dough, and then slathered it with a spiced pumpkin mixture, I'd hit the nail on the head. And, surprise, surprise - it worked! The pumpkin gets all gooey and caramel-y because of all the brown sugar and margarine that it's rolled with, and the dough had the perfect amount of spice to compliment the filling. Plus, they stay moist for days because of the pumpkin rolled up in there.

I also wanted to experiment with a glaze. (Lately, when I made cinnamon buns, I create a sort-of caramel sauce that I pour on the bottom of the pan before I put the unbaked buns in....and then I invert the buns when I serve them so that they're dripping with sauce. Mouth. Watering. Yum. Need to blog that update to the original recipe soon!) I could have definitely created something with powdered sugar and pareve milk, but there's a product in the supermarket that's been calling my name for months now and I figured this was the perfect opportunity to try it. Duncan Hines has a new line of frostings called Flavor Creations, where you buy a "blank slate" container of frosting and then add one of their flavors in. There are a million to choose from: apple pie, bubblegum, chocolate marshmallow, mocha, orange cream...they even have a pumpkin spice flavor (which I couldn't find in my local grocery store). And, best of all, unlike many of the other frosting varieties, they're pareve. (Knock on wood; I'm sure one of these days I'll go to pick one up and see that little OU-D that makes me want to scream sometimes!) So, I settled on the cinnamon roll flavor. I frosted the cinnamon buns with about half of the frosting when they came out of the oven - just to keep them moist. And then when I was ready to serve them, I heated the buns up and then iced them with the rest of the frosting. It starts to melt and get oozy and it is so delicious. And bonus: the apartment smelled amazing!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

1 Kinneret Challah dough
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice, divided
3/4 cup (about half of a 15-oz. can) pumpkin puree
3 tbsp. margarine
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 container Duncan Hines Frosting Creations + cinnamon spice flavor packet

1. Defrost challah dough
2. In a separate bowl, beat pumpkin puree and margarine until smooth with a mixer. In another bowl, mix together 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice.
3. Knead 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice into the dough; roll out into rectangle, approximately 12" wide x 8" tall.
4. Spread the pumpkin puree mixture onto the dough in a thin layer; be sure to leave a 3/4" rim of dough around the pumpkin.
5. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the pumpkin puree and press down lightly.
6. Roll the dough into a log from the bottom up. Cut the log into 12 equal slices and place cut-side down into a round cake pan.
7. Ccover with a damp cloth and allow the buns to rise on the counter for 4-6 hours. (Or, at this point, you can cover the buns with aluminum foil and refrigerate the buns overnight. Then remove them from the fridge, cover them with a damp cloth, allow to rise 4-6 hours, and continue below.)
8. Bake uncovered at 350 for 35 minutes, or until golden brown. (If the buns begin to get too brown, cover them with aluminum foil.)
9. While the buns are baking, mix frosting and cinnamon flavor packet according to the directions. (Or, if you cannot find this particular frosting, mix one container of vanilla or cream cheese frosting with either 1 tsp. of cinnamon extract or 2 tsp. of cinnamon.)
10. Remove the buns from the oven and immediately spread a thin layer of frosting on them to keep moist.
11. To serve: warm the buns up and spread with more frosting.
12. Devour

I'm back.....Soup-er :-)

Okay, I'm terrible. It's been almost a solid year and I haven't updated this blog a single time. That's because I haven't cooked in a year...JUST KIDDING, G-d forbid :-P It's been a year since I moved to New York, which means a year of cooking and baking and new recipes and experiments on new friends. What did I ever do before Pinterest, where I've been diligently pinning a ton of amazing recipes that I've stumbled upon on my own, or that I've repinned from friends - recipes like this crowd-pleasing Asian slaw, these amazing swear-you're-eating-a-Reese's-peanut-butter-cup brownies, or this once-you-start-you-can't-stop cake batter popcorn. I guess there haven't been any standout recipes in the last year that I've come up with on my own, though....until now :-)

I was doing a lazy, casual Shabbos dinner with some friends at my place this past weekend. We decided to order from Carlos and Gabby's, the kosher Mexican restaurant in the NYC-area. At the last minute, though, I panicked that I didn't have enough food. Since Shabbos doesn't start till, like, 11pm (it feels like!) and I was home from work by 3, I decided I had enough time to play around and bulk up the meal a bit with some soup. I had just seen a recipe on TV for a chicken tortilla soup and was inspired, so I decided to have at it and come up with a recipe of my own. With only 2 minutes worth of chopping, a few cans that needed to be opened, and, thanks to the fact that I live in walking distance to several kosher grocery stores, a pre-made rotisserie chicken that I just needed to shred up myself, this turned into a delicious, hearty soup with just a little kick in the background. I love when something new surprises me with how yummy it is! Luckily, there were leftovers, which meant that I had some delicious dinners this week too....and anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a fan of leftovers, so you know this one was worth it!

 Mexican Chicken Soup
(serves 10)

2 tbsp. canola oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 package of taco seasoning
1 chipotle in adobo (canned), chopped
1 28-oz. can of crushed tomatoes
4 cups of chicken stock
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cups of shredded cooked chicken
1 11-oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 11-oz. can of corn, drained

Heat oil in a large pot and add the onion and pepper. Sautee over medium heat until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the taco seasoning and chipotle and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover, but leave the lid slightly open, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes, until slightly thickened. Season with salt, pepper, and brown sugar (adjust to taste), and add the chicken, beans and corn. Serve with tortilla chips.

Mmm Mmmm Minestrone

When I hosted my first Shabbos dinner in NYC, I also decided to have a soup course. (Because that's what you do when it's 90 degrees outside, right?) The truth was, I had made some really good Beef Minestrone soup a few days earlier for dinner and had, like, half the pot leftover. So I figured having 10 people over was a good way to use up some leftovers!

This minestrone soup and I go way back. Back when I was dating a certain ex-boyfriend, I was visiting him for the weekend and we went to friends of his for Shabbos dinner. They served minestrone soup that was really good and that my ex really liked, so we asked for the recipe. We didn't end up getting it, but later that weekend, my ex asked if I could maybe figure it out and make it for us for dinner. We went to the grocery store, I haphazardly threw some things into a cart, and then tried my luck back at his apartment. It came out perfectly - so hearty and thick and beefy, but still really healthy-tasting and satisfying. I've made it several times over the last few years, and every time I make it, I remember how much I like it!

Fast forward to last week: I knew that, after eating the soup for a few nights during the week, I wouldnt have enough to feed 10 people at Shabbos dinner. Also, when you refrigerate and then re-heat the soup, the noodles absorb a ton of the liquid. So I sauteed up some more veggies, added some more tomatoes, broth, and pasta, and I had a full pot of soup again - it was a never-ending pot of soup! My suggestions for making more soup are at the end of the recipe. Also, I added WAY too many noodles, so I'm cutting the noodles way down in this version of the recipe. But hey, if you like pasta, add as much as you'd like!

Beef Minestrone Soup
serves Unlimited

3 tbsp. oil
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced
2 zucchinis, halved and sliced
1 can of small white beans (or any combination of beans), drained
1 28-oz. can of crushed tomatos
6 cups beef broth, divided
6 oz. mini shell pasta (or mini bowties)
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a stock pot over medium heat, brown the ground beef in the oil until it is fully cooked.
2. Add the onion, carrot, and zucchini and sautee until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the beans and heat until warmed through.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes and 4 cups of beef broth and bring to a boil.
4. Pour in the pasta, and allow the soup to cook at a rapid simmer until pasta is soft and soup is thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
5. Add the additional 2 cups of broth. Season to taste.

*To make the soup stretch and feed 10 more:
2 tbsp. oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 zucchini, halved and sliced
1 carrot, peeled, quartered, and sliced
1/2 can small white beans (or any variety), drained
1 15-oz. can of crushed or diced tomatoes
5 cups beef broth
3 oz. mini shell pasta (or mini bowties)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat the already-made soup on a low heat until warm.
2. In a separate pot, heat the oil and sautee the onion, zucchini, and carrot on medium heat until soft. Add the beans and heat through.
3. Add the tomatoes and 3 cups of beef broth and bring to a full boil. Add the additional pasta and cook at a rapid simmer until the pasta is soft.
4. Add the fresh soup to the re-heated soup and add any remaining broth until it's the consistency that you like. (Note: keeping the soup on the stove thickens it, so keep some broth handy to thin it out as needed.) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken ala NYC

Greetings from New York! Well, I did it - I made the big move to the big city! It's been a crazy few weeks - wrapping up things at my old job in Baltimore (and taking part in 3 MAJOR events right before my last day!), packing up 5 years worth of cooking equipment, clothing, shoes, and stuff, and moving to Manhattan on Erev Shavuos - talk about great timing! But it all worked out great and I'm all settled in and have already hosted a meal at my place!

I intended to have Shabbos dinner this past week with, like, 3 friends. Well, that snowballed into a 10-person meal....and I didn't even have a table or chairs! Luckily, I decided to buy a folding table on Friday afternoon, and we scrounged around the building for a couple extra folding chairs. Crisis averted, and I had a great time with old and new friends.

I decided to make a chicken dish that I actually came up with and made once in Baltimore before I left, but I tweaked it a little. I have to say, this is one of my favorite dishes I've come up with so far! It was so delicious, the chicken was so moist, the sauce was so flavorful, and I got a ton of compliments on it - and you will too! It's sort of a take on my Manischewitz cook-off entry chicken, except that the base of the sauce is mushrooms instead of shallots, and it's a creamier sauce because of the roux that you create with the flour and the oil. This is also a great way to stretch a buck (always helpful when you're paying NYC rent!) because I got 10 portions of chicken (PLUS 2 leftover pieces) out of just 6 chicken breasts, since I cut them into smaller pieces after I pound them out. If you try anything I've blogged about, try this one - you won't regret it!

Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
serves 10

2 lb. chicken breasts (6 medium sized)
1 cup + 2 tbsp. flour
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. oil
1/2 cup white wine, divided
1 large shallot or 1 small onion, chopped
2 pints sliced mushrooms (I used a combo of button and criminis)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
salt, pepper

1. Pound the chicken breasts thin using a meat mallot (or heavy-bottomed pan or rolling pin) in between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Cut them into 2-3 pieces.
2. Season the 1 cup flour with salt and pepper on a plate or in a shallow dish. Lightly dredge the thin chicken breasts in the seasoned flour.
3. Heat the 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pan fry the chicken breasts in the oil until browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Place the chicken on a paper towel-lined plate.
4. Discard some of the remaining oil so there's only a thin layer left in the pan. Add the white wine and scrape up the bits from the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon. Reduce the wine by half.
5. Add the remaining 2 tbsp. of oil and turn the heat down to medium. Add the shallots and sweat them for 2 minutes until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes, or until they've reduced in size and are golden.
6. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of wine and again scrape the bottom of the pan. Cook out the wine.
6. Sprinkle in the remaining 2 tbsp. of flour and allow to cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken stock slowly and bring the sauce to a bubble.
7. Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer and the mushroom flavor to infuse the sauce for 5 minutes. Season to taste AFTER the sauce is at the right consistency. (If you season it before it reduces and thickens, it could get too salty.)
8. Arrange the chicken on a serving plate. Pour the sauce over the chicken and allow to sit for at least an hour (on the warm stove or in a warm (200 degree) oven).